Donald Trump once planned to build the largest movie studio in the US, but it fell apart

Three years before he declared his run for the presidency, Donald Trump had his eyes set on another radically ambitious personal venture — the developement of an 800-acre studio in Hampstead, Florida, which "would have been the largest film and TV production campus in America," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The publication details how Trump came to the idea of constructing the studio in April 2012, through his friend Joe Martinez, "a former cop and background actor... who happened to be running for mayor of Miami." Martinez proposed that Trump help him revisit an abandoned 10-year-old plan to convert an airplane hangar in Florida into a small film studio.

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Donald Trump once planned to build the largest movie studio in the US, but it fell apart

Donald Trump with Alfred Eisenpreis, New York City Economic Development Administrator. Sketch of new 1,400 room Renovation project of Commodore Hotel.

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Donald Trump pauses in his apartment 5/20 after receiving the news that the Board of Estimate unanimously approved a 40-year tax abatement plan. Under the plan Trump will purchase and refurbish the Commodore Hotel, which closed into doors 5/18, from the Penn Central Transportation Corp. In return for his $10-million-dollar purchase and up to $100 million face-lifting investment, Trump will have no real estate taxes for 40 years.

Donald Trump and Ivana Trump attend Roy Cohn's birthday party in February 1980 in New York City.

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Donna Mills and Donald Trump during 1983 Annual American Image Awards at Sheraton Center in New York City, New York, United States.

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Donald Trump attends 38th Annual Horatio Alger Awards Dinner on May 10, 1985 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City.

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Portrait of real estate mogul Donald John Trump (b.1946), smiling slightly and facing to his right, 1983. New York.

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Boxing promoter Don King holds up the arms of Mike Tyson and former champion Larry Holmes during a press conference here 12/1. Looking on is Donald Trump. The fight will be held at the Trump Plaza Hotel.

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Donald Trump, real estate mogul, entrepreneur, and billionare poses in the foyer of his home in August 1987 in Greenwich, Connecticut.

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Donald Trump Jr. and Donald Trump during 1988 U.S. Open - September 3, 1988 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States.

Billionaire Donald Trump and his wife Ivana arrive 04 December 1989 at a social engagement in New York.

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Donald Trump and Daughter Ivanka Trump during Maybelline Presents 1991 Look of the Year at Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York, United States.

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Donald Trump attends 'Hoop-La' Special Olympics Basketball Game on June 25, 1992 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

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Donald Trump and Joan Rivers during Opening of The Rose Room in the Plaza Hotel at Plaza Hotel Rose Room in New York City, New York, United States.

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Donald Trump touches 07 April 1993 Marla Maples stomach to confirm published reports that the actress is pregnant with his child. The two arrived for Maples appearance in the Broadway musical 'The Will Rogers Follies'.

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US business tycoon Donald Trump enters the PLaza Hotel in New York past supporters 21 December 1994. Hundreds of supporters showed up at a news conference where Trump denied a New York newspaper report that the Sultan of Brunei had bid 300 million USD to buy the Manhattan hotel.

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Donald Trump and Christine Whitman during Opening of New Warner Bros. Store in Trump Plaza Casino at Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States.

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Donald Trump attends Marc Jacobs Fashion Show on April 4, 1995 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

New York real estate giant Donald Trump poses in his Trump Tower office on a giant letter 'T' on May 8, 1996.

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Portrait of Marla Maples and her husband, businessman Donald Trump, with their daughter Tiffany, as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1996.

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Donald Trump and Ron Delsner backstage at a KISS concert at Madison Squre Garden in New York City on July 25, 1996.

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Donald Trump attending Halloween party thrown by Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss at the Supper Club to kick off Fashion Week.

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Donald Trump open his new building at 1 Center Park West- The new Trump International Hotel and Tower.

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Donald Trump and his girlfriend Celina Midelfar watch Conchita Martinez and Amanda Coetzer 07 September at US Open in Flushing Meadows, NY.

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Celine Dion, husband Rene, Donald Trump & Ivanka Trump

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Entrepreneur Donald Trump and Rev. Al Sharpton speak at a ribbon cutting ceremony for Sharpton's National Action Network Convention April 5, 2002 in New York City. The group aims to further the development of civil rights.

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Donald Trump and his girlfriend Melania Knauss attend the Marc Bouwer/Peta Fall/Winter 2002 Collection show February 14, 2002 during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City.

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Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden

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Donald Trump stands on the sidelines before the start of the AFC divisional playoffs between the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans on January 10, 2004 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Temperatures have reached as low as 7 degrees in the Foxboro area.

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Donald Trump, Visionary Business Leader award honoree, poses with his children Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka at Fashion Group International's 22nd Annual 'Night Of Stars' at Cipriani's 42nd Street October 27, 2005 in New York City.

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Eric Trump and Donald Trump attend the Chicago Bulls vs New Jersey Nets game at the IZOD Center on October 31, 2007 in East Rutherford, New York.

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Donald Trump delivers a speech with his son Barron after he was honored with the 2,327th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, CA, 16 January 2007.

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Portrait of former model Melania Trump and her husband, businessman Donald Trump, as they sit together at a table during the 16th annual 'Lady in Red' gala, hosted by LIFE (Leaders In Furthering Education), at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, December 4, 2009.

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Donald Trump sands with Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela prior to the Miss Universe 2010 Pageant Final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on August 23, 2010. Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant and along with the Miss World is the most publicized beauty contest in the world. California clothing company Pacific Mills founded the contest 1952 and was acquired by Donald Trump in 1996.

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US tycoon Donald Trump arrives to speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, outside Washington, on February 27, 2015.

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Donald Trump speaks during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 2015 NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits on April 10, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. The annual NRA meeting and exhibit runs through Sunday.

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Real estate mogul and billionaire Donald Trump attends Golf legend Jack Nicklaus' Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda March 24, 2015 in Washington, DC. Trump announed on March 18 that he has launched a presidential exploratory committee.

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Businessman Donald Trump speaks to guests gathered for the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center on May 16, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. The event sponsored by the Republican Party of Iowa gave several Republican presidential hopefuls an opportunity to strengthen their support among Iowa Republicans ahead of the 2016 Iowa caucus.

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Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump visits his Scottish golf course Turnberry with his children Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump on July 30, 2015 in Ayr, Scotland. Donald Trump answered questions from the media at a press conference.

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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at his election night rally in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 9, 2016.

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Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump poses for a photo after an interview with Reuters in his office in Trump Tower, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., May 17, 2016.

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Coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, which airs on all ABC News programs and platforms. On this final night of the convention, Donald Trump accepts the party's nomination for President of the United States.

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U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reacts to an answer his wife Melania gives during an interview on NBC's "Today" show in New York, April 21, 2016.

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President-elect Donald Trump speaks to reporters following his meeting with Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba Group, meeting at Trump Tower, January 9, 2017 in New York City. President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team are in the process of filling cabinet and other high level positions for the new administration.

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Trump agreed to look into it — under his own conditions.

"But Trump, being Trump, thought Martinez should think bigger," THR writes. "Instead of merely turning an old airplane hangar into a rinky-dink studio, Trump envisioned an entire studio city, built on 800 acres of undeveloped, government-owned land in Homestead — a rural, economically depressed part of Miami-Dade that still was recovering from Hurricane Andrew two decades earlier."

Trump then contracted New York architect John Fotiadis to develop renderings for the enormous Trump World Studios campus, which would have included "15 backlots, multiple sound studios ranging in size from 25,000 to 250,000 square feet (for a total of 1 million square feet of indoor space,) and even a housing complex for employees." (Fotiadis's studio blueprints can be seen in the THR article.)

As their plans started to come closer to fruition in the following months, however, Trump and his contractors then hit a series of road blocks. His team reportedly had trouble acquiring the contiguous land necessary to build the whole campus, as some properties were already purchased by other entities or already in use by the US government.

Despite recieving a particularly memorable bit of assurance from director Michael Bay — "He told me he could have shot 'Transformers' [at Trump World Studios] if it were available," Martinez said — the barriers to progress soon became unassailable. Martinez lost his run for mayor of Miami to a candidate who openly opposed Trump World Studios, and the studio's proposed location happened to be next to a US Air Force Reserve base, where the taking off of military jets would have made for less-than-ideal filming conditions.

"I actually said, 'Can you move the Air Force base?'" Trump admitted, according to THR.

But by November 2012, the Air Force still held its ground, and Trump's lofty project "was officially dead."

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Donald Trump once planned to build the largest movie studio in the US, but it fell apart

Donald Trump and Melania Knauss during Grand Opening of 'W' New York Hotel at W Hotel - NYC in New York City, New York, United States.

(Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)

This picture provided by courtesy of Nena Bedek and taken in 1977 in Radenci, northeastern Slovenia, shows Slovenian-American former model and Donald Trump's wife Melania Trump (born Melanija Knavs)(2nd R) as a child, together with Nena Bedek (R), attending a fashion review of Jutranjka, the textile company where her mother used to work. Because of Melania Trump's husband success so far in the Republican race for the White House candidacy, foreign journalists and tourists have become a frequent sight in her birth region, set in rolling hills 60 miles from the capital Ljubljana.

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Donald Trump and Melania Trump attend the premiere of 'Celebrity' on September 25, 1998 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.

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Melania Knauss (Concord Model) At The Launch Of Concords' New Advertising Campaign. There Is Also An Auctin To Benefit Amfar.

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Melania Knauss Trump attends 37th Annual Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Issue Preview Party on February 22, 2000 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

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Donald Trump and his girlfriend Melania Knauss are shown in this 03 September 2002 file photo, as they watch Andy Roddick of the US play Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina at the US Open Tennis Tournament at Flushing Meadows, New York.

Real estate magnate Donald Trump and Melania leave Hollinger International's annual meeting at the Metropolitan Club in New York on May 22, 2003. Hollinger publishes The Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Telegraph of London, the Jerusalem Post and other newspapers.

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Donald Trump's new bride, Slovenian model Melania Knauss, waves as they leave the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church after their wedding in Palm Beach, Florida, January 22, 2005.

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Melania Trump attends the J Mendel Spring Collections 2007 show during New York fashion week September 14, 2006.

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Donald Trump, entrepreneur and host of the television reality series "The Apprentice", poses with his wife and children Donald Trump Jr., Tiffany Trump, Melania and daughter Ivanka at the party following the live telecast of the finale of season five in Los Angeles, California June 5, 2006.

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Donald Trump's wife Melania Trump and son Baron attend the ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 16, 2006 in Hollywood, California.

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Melania Trump during Celebs Toast to the New Trump Super Premium Vodka at TrumpTower in New York, New York, United States.

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Melania Trump and Andre Leon Talley attend ANDRE LEON TALLEY and RACHEL ROY Present Her Spring 2007 Collection at Bergdorf Goodman on October 11, 2006 in New York City.

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Melania Trump attends Michael Kors Fall 2007 Collection at The Tent on February 7, 2007 in New York City.

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Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump inside Madonna and Gucci Host 'A Night to Benefit Raising Malawi and UNICEF' at the United Nations on February 6, 2007 in New York City.

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Melania Trump, wearing Vera Wang, arrives for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy" in New York May 5, 2008.

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Melania Trump and her son Barron attend the 17th Annual Bunny Hop at FAO Schwarz March 11, 2008 in New York City.

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Melania Trump arrives at 'The Celebrity Apprentice' viewing party at Tenjune on February 7, 2008 in New York City.

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Donald Trump, Jr., Barron Trump, Ivanka Trump, Melania Trump-Trump and Eric Trump attend the 'The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life' book launch celebration at Trump Tower on October 14, 2009 in New York City.

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Donald Trump and his wife Melania pose at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, "The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion," in New York, May 4, 2009.

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Melania Knauss, wife of Donald Trump, arrives at her seat in the stands to watch an evening match during the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York September 8, 2010.

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Donald Trump and Melania Trump attend the Michael Kors Fall 2010 Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at TheTent at Bryant Park on February 17, 2010 in New York, New York.

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Melania Trump attends The Black Eyed Peas launch the Samsung 3D LED TV at the Time Warner Center on March 10, 2010 in New York City.

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Melania Trump attends the Philadelphia Style Magazine holiday issue release party at 10 Arts Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton on December 13, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Producer Brian Grazer, Donald Trump, Director Brett Ratner, Melania Trump and Sean 'Diddy' Combs attend the world premiere of 'Tower Heist' at the Ziegfeld Theatre on October 24, 2011 in New York City.

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Donald Trump and Melania Trump attend Lady in Red Gala to benefit The American Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial at The Mar-a-Largo Club on December 2, 2011 in Palm Beach, Florida.

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Melania Trump attends the 'The Dark Knight Rises' World Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on July 16, 2012 in New York City.

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Real estate magnate Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit celebrating the opening of the "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations" exhibition in New York, May 7, 2012.

(REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Melania Trump attend the 2012 Operation Smile Gala at Cipriani Wall Street on May 3, 2012 in New York City.

Melania Trump, the wife of real estate developer Donald Trump, attends a news conference in New York May 1, 2014. New Jersey's Trump National Golf Club, a course owned by Trump, will host the 2022 PGA Championship.

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Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Donald Trump and Melania Trump attend The New York Ball: The 20th Anniversary Benefit For The European School Of Economics at Trump Tower on November 19, 2014 in New York City.

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U.S. Republican presidential candidate, real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump gives a thumbs up while he poses with his family after formally announcing his campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination during an event at Trump Tower in New York June 16, 2015. The Trump family from L; Eric Trump and his wife Lara, Donald Trump, son Barron, Melania Trump, Vanessa Haydon and her husband Donald Trump Jr., children Kia Trump and Donald Trump III, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner and Tiffany Trump.

(REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)

Melania Trump, wife of Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump, smiles as she leaves the stage after the conclusion of the third and final debate between her husband and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., October 19, 2016.

(REUTERS/Rick Wilking)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump kisses his wife Melania Trump at a campaign rally in Wilmington, North Carolina Florida, U.S. November 5, 2016.

Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump greets his wife Melania after the third and final 2016 presidential campaign debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., October 19, 2016.

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